. >>> the vatican is slamming media reports in italy about why pope benedict decided to resign. two publications say it happened the same day the pope received a bombshell. 300-page vatican dossier documenting homosexuality in the priesthood. ben wedeman joins us from rome. the vatican says this is an attempt by the italian media to influence the upcoming conclave. walk us through this. >> reporter: basically this goes back to the december 17 when three cardinals who were assigned by pope benedict to investigate wrongdoing in the vatican presented him with a 300-page red-bound dossier which included information, according to these two publications, "la republica," a daily newspaper, and "panorama," a weekly magazine, suggesting that there was a network of gay priests within the vatican who were being blackmailed by a network of male prostitutes outside the vatican in the city of rome. the vatican has come out with an uncharacteristically strong statement saying that these "unverified, unverifiable, or false news reports" are damaging to people and institutions. and the vatican i